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But many opera lyrics don't make sense either so those lyrics are fine

And when I read this, I couldn't help but think of Act I, Scene I of Weber's Oberon:

Aria

OBERON
Fatal vow! - Not even slumber can thy
Victim's torture tame!
Of my woes it swells the number,
Of my wrath it feeds the flame!
Still I burn, and still I anguish,
Doubled in my dream I feel
Every pang of waking anguish,
But no balmy wounds to heal,
Fatal vow! - Not even slumber
Can thy torture tame!
Of my woes it swells the number,
Of my wrath it feeds the flame!
Fatal vow!

No, I don't think so. I think its just that Planché's libretto sucks and he sucked as a librettist. Mendelssohn was smart enough to stop talking to the guy, but I guess Weber's judgement was clouded by the TB he suffered from!

I have all the Kermes releases, she has incredibly vivid clear vocals and dramatic imaginative ornamented da capo delivery, I would have to say technically she is the best female baroque singer today.......

This just arrived, latest Naive label obscure Vivaldi opera that is really great fun, theses are so consistently good you just buy no questions asked!

The cover photo is deceptive since 4 out of five main voices are female

I could have sworn there was a "What have you been watching lately?" thread, but I can't find it. So here goes:

I actually watched this several months ago, but since I usually only watch an opera DVD straight through about 5% of the time or less, I figured I should mention this in case I hadn't already. I found it unusually engrossing.

I could have sworn there was a "What have you been watching lately?" thread, but I can't find it. So here goes:

I actually watched this several months ago, but since I usually only watch an opera DVD straight through about 5% of the time or less, I figured I should mention this in case I hadn't already. I found it unusually engrossing.

Maybe that thread is in some other site. But there is nothing wrong with including this kind of thing here. As a matter of fact, we can edit this thread's title to "what have you been listening to/watching lately" if you guys want it. Or else, we can create a separate thread for "watching" if we don't have it and you all feel it's important. Or you can start your own.

1966 Decca studio Beatrice di Tenda, Sutherland with very young Pavarotti.
Very worthy neglected Bellini opera, quickly composed between Norma and Puritani was not initially received well, but has to have something good surrounded by those masterworks!

Noteworthy is several young Sutherland Bellini arias added as bonus material

I listened to the Sutherland/Pavarotti Norma recording during my walk yesterday:

I was curious, so, when I got home, I listened to the Callas/Corelli Norma to get a better sense of how they compare:

The Sutherland recording is really beautiful - she soars in the role and lives up to her reputation. I have to admit, though, that I am increasingly unhappy with listening to Pavarotti. Aside from his outstanding ability, his voice is so distinctive and ubiquitous that I find his singing downright annoying. He is not enough, however, to detract from Sutherland's success.

That said, the Callas recording is thrilling, vital, and so compelling that I couldn't focus on reading the Sunday "New York Times". The recordings are very different from each other and both high quality performances but I can see that one's preference for Sutherland's beautiful voice is a totally legitimate and non-controversial choice. As for me, give me the Callas!

I listened to the Sutherland/Pavarotti Norma recording during my walk yesterday:

I was curious, so, when I got home, I listened to the Callas/Corelli Norma to get a better sense of how they compare:

The Sutherland recording is really beautiful - she soars in the role and lives up to her reputation. I have to admit, though, that I am increasingly unhappy with listening to Pavarotti. Aside from his outstanding ability, his voice is so distinctive and ubiquitous that I find his singing downright annoying. He is not enough, however, to detract from Sutherland's success.
That said, the Callas recording is thrilling, vital, and so compelling that I couldn't focus on reading the Sunday "New York Times". The recordings are very different from each other and both high quality performances but I can see that one's preference for Sutherland's beautiful voice is a totally legitimate and non-controversial choice. As for me, give me the Callas!

Of course I will agree, the stereo Norma with Callas/Corelli is an immortal opera performance

This is my second complete run-through of this work in the last two days.

I like the operetta-like feel to the overall production, but that the music, in spite of its tunefulness, seems more substantial than most operettas I've heard. I guess it's what is referred to more properly as "opera comique", whatever the distinction might be between the two forms.